R

rnmkr

AgentX20
Gurm

So I did some digging and apparently the command is still there. The command is:

ioreg -lw0 | grep \"EDID\" sed "/[^<]/s///" | xxd - -r | strings -6

More info as to what the numbers mean:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/only-early-2013-rmbp-15-lcd-model-ir-test.1567570/

Retina test is available here:
https://github.com/mitchmalone/retina-test

I have switched the screens on the MacBook Pros and I started getting headache from the one that came in so it seems to be a panel problem.

The one that I bought (now with the panel that I have been using forever and was able to use with no problems) is LP154WT1-SJA2
The one that I was able to use (and now with the panel from the newer MacBook Pro that gives me eyestrain) is LP154WT1-SJA1

I'm not sure how the ioreg command works, but I suspect it queries system information and doesn't query the actual panel itself which means SJA1 is the one that doesn't give me eyestrain and SJA2 is the one that does. I will switch the panels over again to verify this.

Oh have to add that there are slight differences in the "identical model" that I got:
Processor on the one I've been using for 9 years:
2.3 GHz Intel Core i7
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1 GB
Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

and the one I bought off eBay:
2.6 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB

Could these two really make the difference between giving eyestrain? I honestly don't know how to solve this problem.

I bought a 15" Macbook Pro Retina back in 2012 and have been using it for the past 9 years. My work is all in front of the computer and I spend sometimes 12 hours a day with no problems whatsoever. I have also had PRK done 5 years ago and it had no effect on my eyestrain with this particular laptop. Unfortunately it was getting slow and once I dropped it and cracked the screen I decided it was a good excuse to upgrade to the Macbook Pro 2019 back in November of 2020 (before the M1 came out). I was happy to upgrade and started using it only to discover that my eyes were really sore after a day of use. I thought it was temporary (I thought that maybe I rubbed my eyes too hard and that's why I was getting the eyestrain). I kept on using the machine until my eyes were so sore that I couldn't look at the screen anymore.

I googled a list of solutions and went to the optometrist to do a check-up on my eyes. I was told they were slightly dry but other than that they were fine. I started taking lubricating eye drops. I tried all sorts of combinations of color palettes, resolutions, flux settings, etc. I even got expensive blue light filtering glasses but nevertheless, upon opening the screen I would see this cloudy "haze" and I'd instantly feel this discomfort in my eyes. Nothing was working.

I had to plead with Apple to return it because I was way past the return date and they allowed me to do it which I am very thankful for. I ran to the Apple store and got the M1 Macbook Air thinking that while it was smaller than what I'd like, it would be better than my old laptop. Opened the screen and got the same repulsive feeling of seeing what I can describe as cloudiness in the screen. After one day of use I returned it.

Since then I've been reading everything (including this forum) I could to hopefully solve my problem. I bought a 2015 Macbook Pro Retina. I had to return it the next day. I then found a 2012 Macbook Pro Retina on eBay with the exact same specs as mine and while I can use it for a little longer, I am still getting the eyestrain and the headache at the end of the day. Finally I had no choice but to move to Windows.

Dell XPS 15 was one of the most recommended machines here and I was very excited to see an end in the tunnel for this problem. And again it's giving me eyestrain. I have tried everything-- Windows 10 Ubuntu, Pop OS. It's not immediate like it is with the newest Macbook Pros, but I can't use the machine for more than a few hours before the eyestrain sets in.

Right now I'm typing all of this from my Macbook Pro 2012 with a broken screen. I'm going to need to switch eventually but I just don't know what to do next. I can't even determine what's causing it. Even the identical model I found is causing me eyestrain eventually!

Here's what doesn't cause eyestrain:
MacBook Pro Retina 15" pre-ordered in 2012

Here's what does:
MacBook Pro Retina 15" 2019
MacBook Air M1
MacBook Pro Retina 15" 2015
MacBook Pro Retina 15" 2012 identical model off eBay
Dell XPS 15 FHD
LG 34UM94 plugged into any of the above

What do I do next?